I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Nagato shook his head, then revealed a worried expression: "This time it's not an ordinary enemy. Besides the masked man, there is an extremely powerful aura that I feel is no less than that of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

"So strong?" Konan was even more worried: "Nagato, what should we do?"

Nagato revealed a resolute look, and then said, "As the leader of Amegakure, I cannot evade this battle. If the enemy's strength is too great, you should try to escape or surrender."

Chapter 272 The Battle of Amegakure (Part Two)

"Surrender or escape?"

Xiao Nan shook her head, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and said resolutely, "I will not surrender, nor will I run away. I will fight alongside you until death."

Hearing this, Nagato felt a warmth in his heart and then said, "One of us must survive, otherwise Amegakure will be annexed by other great powers. However, this is the worst-case scenario, and I am not necessarily going to lose to the masked man."

After a pause, Nagato continued, "Go and keep an eye on Sasori and the others. I'm worried they might use this as an excuse to cause trouble."

After saying that, Nagato walked out of the Amegakure office and, under the protection of Pain, headed out of the village. The masked man's target was definitely the Rinnegan, and as long as he was away from Amegakure, the village would be safe.

Watching Nagato's departing figure, Konan seemed to have made up her mind and disappeared into the rain.

Not long after, Nagato and the group of Pain arrived at an open space outside Amegakure. Using their Rinnegan, they spotted Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu emerging from the forest.

Nagato didn't recognize Madara Uchiha, but he did recognize Black Zetsu, and said coldly:

"Zetsu, even you have betrayed Akatsuki and sided with the masked man? You should know that the masked man is no match for me. The strength of the Rinnegan is incomparable to the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Black Zetsu glanced at Pain, then sneered, "Nagato, what makes you think your Rinnegan belongs to you?"

"What do you mean?" Nagato sensed something was wrong.

Black Zetsu continued, "Haven't you ever wondered why you, a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, could awaken the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths? If those eyes really are yours, why couldn't your parents even defeat Konoha ninjas?"

Nagato frowned, as if remembering something, his eyes filled with coldness:

"How did you know that my parents were killed by Konoha ninja? Were you watching them die? Or were they part of your plan?"

"Lord Ban, it's your turn to step forward!"

Black Zetsu did not answer Nagato's question, but stepped back and gave the stage to Uchiha Madara.

Madara Uchiha, dressed in armor from the Warring States period, seemed out of place in Amegakure, but the powerful aura he exuded attracted Nagato's attention.

At that moment, Nagato suddenly noticed that Madara Uchiha's eyes had transformed into the Rinnegan, exactly like his own.

Nagato's expression changed as he recalled his experience of traveling back in time through the Dragon Vein half a year ago. In the last half hour, he saw the old Uchiha man covered in tubes in the underground of the Land of Grass.

Could this mysterious Uchiha ninja in front of me be that old man?

Noticing the change in Nagato's expression, Madara Uchiha said expressionlessly, "Nagato, have you gotten used to my eyes after all these years? I searched for a long time before I found a vessel large enough to hold the Rinnegan."

Upon hearing this, Nagato could not suppress his anger and manipulated the Six Paths of Pain to rush forward.

If his Rinnegan truly came from Madara Uchiha, wouldn't that mean that his parents' deaths were manipulated by Madara Uchiha, and that all the subsequent misfortunes, including Yahiko's death, were also due to Madara Uchiha?

Faced with the siege of the Six Paths of Pain, Madara Uchiha calmly responded, and after occupying a favorable position, he began a magnificent display of taijutsu.

After the Six Paths of Pain's attack was repelled, the Deva Path stretched out his palm and shouted, "Shinra Tensei!"

Accompanied by the deep voice of the Heavenly Dao, the repulsive force rushed towards Uchiha Madara like a tsunami. Uchiha Madara formed hand seals, and a sky-blue Susanoo was projected. After retreating dozens of meters, he stabilized his body.

Standing in the center of Susanoo, Madara Uchiha looked at the Six Paths of Pain surrounding him and said with some excitement, "It's been a long time since I've felt this excited. As expected of the ninja who inherited my Rinnegan, he can pique my interest a little."

Before he finished speaking, Madara Uchiha activated his Susanoo to launch an attack, and with a casual sword strike, he leveled the nearby forest.

Upon seeing this, the Animal Path quickly slapped the ground with both hands. As a puff of white smoke dissipated, large summoning beasts appeared in the forest and rushed towards the location of Uchiha Madara.

While the summoning beast bought him some time, Nagato carefully observed Madara Uchiha.

Although Madara Uchiha's Susanoo is powerful, he still has ways to break through it. Madara's current strength is only at the level of Hanzo, but Madara's current state and the Rinnegan he just revealed make him feel wary.

With a loud bang, the Animal Path's summoned split dog was killed once again by Susanoo, splitting into four heads.

After observing Madara Uchiha for a long time, Nagato suddenly realized that Madara's chakra did not seem to have been depleted much. The cracks on Madara's face also reminded him of a technique in Konoha called Impure World Reincarnation.

This indicates that Madara Uchiha was not resurrected using the Rinne Rebirth technique, but rather existed in the world as a soul.

If it were a soul, both the Human Path and the Black Rod could effectively restrain it, and he might not necessarily lose this battle. Thinking of this, Nagato Shinichi created the Black Rod and then shoved it hard into his thigh.

Because of an injury caused by an explosive tag in his early years, his leg has been in a state of injury ever since.

That's why the Six Paths of Pain were created. By bestowing the Rinnegan abilities upon different Pains, the pressure on the body was reduced. Now, relying solely on the Six Paths of Pain, it is clearly impossible to defeat Madara Uchiha and the masked man.

The main body must also possess combat capabilities to prevent enemies from directly attacking it.

Outside, the Animal Path deliberately deactivated the summoning jutsu. After the Six Paths of Pain dispersed to a certain distance, they looked at Madara Uchiha, who was inside Susanoo, and used the Universal Pull technique.

When Susanoo was pulled in front of Pain, Pain stretched out his other hand and unleashed Shinra Tensei.

The repulsive and attractive forces intertwined, creating a tremendous destructive force that directly caused cracks to appear in Susanoo. At the same time, the other six Paths of Pain brandished black rods and instantly appeared in front of Madara Uchiha.

As he looked at the black rod so close to him, Madara Uchiha's calm face was stirred with emotion.

Having once possessed the Rinnegan, he knew that black rods were effective against the Impure World Reincarnation technique. After his arm was accidentally cut by a black rod, Madara Uchiha created some distance and shouted, "Wood Release: Advent of the Flowering Tree World!"

In an instant, the ground beneath their feet cracked open at an incredible speed, and towering trees rose from the earth.

Just seconds later, a forest tens of meters high and hundreds of meters wide formed on the previously open ground, blocking the view of the Six Paths of Pain and also blocking the attacks of the black rods.

As Nagato frowned, Madara Uchiha said in a low voice, "The warm-up phase is over. Our battle has only just begun, Nagato."

Chapter 273 The Battle of Amegakure (End)

While Madara Uchiha and Nagato were engaged in a fierce battle, Obito had already infiltrated the Akatsuki's meeting room.

Since Nagato abandoned the Ten-Tails plan, Akatsuki's internal meetings have shifted from online to offline. This was partly to restrain these unruly Akatsuki members and partly to prepare them for official membership.

While Amegakure has no shortage of top-tier combatants, it still lacks a core force of elite Jonin-level ninjas.

Not long after, Obito sneaked into the conference room, looked at Itachi Uchiha, Sasori, and the others inside, and then appeared directly in front of them, sitting in Pain's seat.

Upon discovering Obito's presence, Itachi and Kisame frowned.

The other Akatsuki members also looked at the masked man, Obito. Deidara even said directly, "Tobi, aren't you afraid the leader will kill you while you're sitting in the leader's seat?"

Obito crossed his legs and said casually, "You mean that traitor Pain? He's in dire straits now. You guys should really think about which side to take. Will you stand with Pain or with me?"

Before he could finish speaking, a tremendous earthquake shook the land, as if confirming Obito's statement.

Hidan and Kakuzu couldn't help but frown. They disapproved of Obito's reaction. He was just an intern in the organization, yet he was so arrogant. If it weren't for his mastery of space-time abilities, they would have already taught Obito a lesson.

Scorpion remained silent for a while, refraining from joining the verbal attack on the masked man.

Although the masked man is nominally a newcomer to the organization, judging from the attitudes of Pain and Konan, he is definitely not an apprentice, but a hidden big shot within the Akatsuki organization.

Itachi Uchiha and Kisame exchanged a glance; they had both been recruited into the organization by Obito.

Knowing that the other party's true identity was the masked man who caused the Nine-Tails' chaos, but in recent years the masked man had been ousted from the organization by Pain and Konan, how dare he openly appear in the Akatsuki's meeting room?

Could it be that the masked man already possesses the strength to defeat Pain and Konan?

Gradually, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Deidara also noticed that something was wrong. The atmosphere in the meeting room was deathly still, and the only sound was the pattering rain outside.

Ten minutes later, the conference room door was pushed open, and Uchiha Madara, dressed in crimson armor, walked in.

Madara Uchiha was in a rather disheveled state, his body riddled with black rods, yet he exuded an indomitable aura. He glanced at the Akatsuki members present and said calmly:

"Obito, these are the subordinates you've recruited over the years? They seem pretty good."

Madara Uchiha's arrogant remarks made the Akatsuki members present look rather ugly. Which of them wasn't a rogue ninja capable of harming a ninja village and slaughtering a country?

Was the mysterious ninja's assessment merely a simple "not bad"?

Obito's face was also somewhat unpleasant under the mask. He had been hiding his identity for so long, and yet he had been exposed by that old bastard Madara. What was he going to do about his style and mystery as the mastermind behind the scenes?

Uchiha Itachi stared at Uchiha Madara for a long time, then said somewhat uncertainly, "Are you Uchiha Madara?"

Madara Uchiha glanced at Itachi, who had called out his name, and chuckled, saying, "After all these years, the Uchiha have finally produced a junior who has awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. From now on, you'll be with me, and I'll protect you."

When Itachi heard the other person admit that he was Uchiha Madara, his heart sank.

The other Akatsuki members also showed shocked expressions. The name of the Shura of the Ninja World was well-known among the high-ranking members of various villages, especially Kakuzu, who had personally witnessed the era when the two heroes of the Ninja World dominated the ninja world.

At this moment, the Akatsuki members also noticed the black rods on Madara Uchiha's body. Only the leader of Pain could create these black rods.

The fact that Madara Uchiha is standing here instead of the leader of the Pain Path presiding over the meeting can only mean one thing: the leader of the Pain Path was defeated by Madara Uchiha and is therefore unable to preside over the meeting.

Currently, they have two choices: one is to rebel against Madara Uchiha and Obito, who has revealed his identity; the other is to change sides.

After a few seconds of deliberation, the Akatsuki members made their choice: they chose to follow Madara Uchiha and Obito. As long as their private lives weren't interfered with, it didn't matter who the leader was.

Looking at the Akatsuki members who had submitted to him, Madara Uchiha showed a satisfied expression and announced the Tailed Beasts Plan.

Looking at the triumphant Uchiha Madara, Obito's expression was somewhat uncertain. Even though he was the mastermind behind Akatsuki, after Uchiha Madara appeared, it seemed as if Madara had become the leader of Akatsuki, and everyone else's attention was on Madara.

After the Akatsuki meeting ended, only Madara Uchiha and Obito remained in the meeting room.

Obito glanced at the black rods on Madara Uchiha's body and said coldly, "Madara, how did your battle with Nagato go? Did you get the Rinnegan?"

After a moment of contemplation, Madara Uchiha slowly said, "The Rinnegan is stronger than I imagined. I only seriously injured Nagato; the task of seizing the Rinnegan was left to Black Zetsu."

"Looks like your strength isn't all that great after all!" Obito sneered.

A shadow crossed Madara Uchiha's eyes, and he said, "I underestimated the ninjas of later generations. However, it is fortunate that an opponent who can make me go all out has appeared in this era."

"It's good to know. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is much more difficult to deal with than Nagato..."

Just then, Black Zetsu emerged from the ground, holding the container holding the Rinnegan, and said, "Lord Madara, Lord Obito, we have obtained Nagato's Rinnegan. What are you going to do with it?"

Madara Uchiha frowned: "Black Zetsu, didn't you bring Nagato back?"

Black Zetsu shook his head: "After I took Nagato's Rinnegan, I was preparing to take him back, but I encountered Konan, so I had no choice but to return to Amegakure."

Upon hearing this, both Madara Uchiha and Obito's expressions turned somewhat solemn.

Nagato, having lost his Rinnegan, is insignificant, but if he were to spread information about the Eye of the Moon plan, it would create considerable obstacles for their plans.

……

Inside a cave dozens of kilometers away.

Looking at Nagato, whose eyes had been removed, Konan's face was full of heartache as she began to treat the rest of Nagato's wounds.

A few hours earlier, she disobeyed Nagato's orders and did not attend the Akatsuki meeting. Instead, she secretly followed Nagato, witnessed the entire battle, and then rescued Nagato from Black Zetsu.

After all, for her, Amegakure was far less important than Nagato's life.